Weekend Feature: With Strings Attached by Kelly Jamieson + Giveaway

The melting point is where it all comes together… or makes a big mess.

Corey Fenwick keeps her bitter past as hidden as the sweet centers inside the handmade chocolates she sells to a growing list of upscale customers. Experience has taught her the only person she can rely on is herself, so her best-friends-with-benefits relationship with Matt is perfect — no strings attached.

After his last girlfriend deemed him “boring”, Matt Ferber watched her ride off on the back of a Harley with a rock musician. Figuring he’s doomed to “let’s just be friends” with the women he cares about, the arrangement with Corey suits him fine too. Until his old friend Dylan Schell rolls into town to hang out while recovering from a surfing injury.

The sexy bad boy makes Corey’s mouth water, and she figures a harmless fling won’t hurt, especially when Dylan suggests she come between him and Matt — in bed.

It’s a win-win-win situation…until somehow there are strings attached. And too late they realize they’re getting all tangled up.

Warning: This book contains an independent woman, two hot guys, some trash talking, a little jealousy, a few beers, chocolate body paint and scary stuff like falling in love.

Exclusive Excerpt

“Having fun?” Dylan asked.

She smiled too. “Yes.”

“Good. Me too. I’ve been wanting to do this all day.” And he bent his head and kissed her mouth.

His lips were warm and gentle, opening on hers, and his tongue slid into her mouth, then withdrew. Her insides immediately turned to liquid heat, pooling between her legs in a heavy ache of need. She set her hands on his chest, strongly muscled beneath the soft cotton of his T-shirt.

He’d just deepened the kiss when Matt’s footsteps sounded in her ears and she jerked her mouth away from Dylan’s to look up and see Matt standing in the door of the kitchen. Looking at them. His mouth was a straight line, and she caught a flash of something before he lowered his eyelids to half-mast. “Oops,” he said. “Sorry to interrupt.”

She gazed at him across the room, her heart thudding in her chest with both lust and…something else. She licked her lips, sucked the bottom lip in, then licked it again. She looked up at Dylan, who in turn looked between her and Matt. A frown crinkled his forehead and he released Corey, taking a step back on his good leg. He pursed his lips.

Corey leaned back, hands gripping the counter on either side of her. Then she saw both guys’ gazes drop to her breasts, which were pushed out by the pose she was in. She wasn’t doing it on purpose and she almost dropped her arms, and then thought…what the hell. They were both giving her hot, I-want-to-do-you looks and hell, she liked it. But it was a little awkward with both of them right there. What was she supposed to do? How was she supposed to choose?

She wanted to keep her friendship with Matt. It was important to her. And even though they’d said they were free to see other people, she had this unpleasant feeling that sleeping with Dylan would change things between her and Matt.

Dylan was only here for a few weeks. She wasn’t looking for a relationship. She could do without sleeping with him. But on the other hand, why shouldn’t she have a hot little fling with a guy she was attracted to?

But that flash she’d seen in Matt’s eyes looked almost like…hurt. And she didn’t want to hurt him. She so did not want to hurt him.

“I think I should go home now,” she said in a husky voice.

Both men focused on her. Matt bent his head briefly. “Corey.”

“Don’t go,” Dylan said.

She looked at Matt. If he didn’t want her to sleep with Dylan, she wouldn’t. Would he tell her that?

“Corey,” he said again. “What do you want?”

Her bottom lip trembled and her insides quivered. She tightened her hands on the counter. Thoughts whirled through her head, possible responses. What should she say? How should she answer that? And then she knew. The truth. If there was anyone she could be honest with, it was Matt. “I want you both,” she whispered.

Matt’s eyes flickered, and when she switched her gaze to Dylan, he said, “Holy shit.”

She blinked at him uncertainly. Had she managed to piss them both off? This still felt really tense.

“Both of us,” Dylan repeated. He glanced at Matt and the corners of his mouth lifted. “Well, I’m up for a threesome.”

“A…what?” Corey’s mouth fell open and her heart lurched to a stop.

He grinned. “A threesome. Isn’t that what you meant?”

“Uh…” Holy hell, no! A threesome! She’d never in her life done anything like that. She pressed a hand to her chest where her heart had resumed beating at a rapid pace.

She watched Matt’s eyes shift again toward Dylan. He snorted. “Yeah, that’s me. The nice guy.” He turned his eyes back to Corey. “Is that what you want, Corey?”

She said nothing. She still hadn’t denied that’s what she’d meant. Because shockingly, the idea turned her on. Come on, who hadn’t fantasized about something like that? She’d never in a million years ever have thought something like that would actually happen, but yeah, she’d thought about it. Once. Or twice.

Would Matt do it? She searched his face for a clue about what he was feeling. He was managing to hide whatever that was pretty damn well. If she told him no, that wasn’t what she’d meant, where would they be? Right back where they’d started, right back where she’d suggested she’d better go home because there was no good way to get out of this.

But if she told him yes…they could all have what they wanted.

Let’s Talk

Q: Tell our readers why you think they’ll enjoy With Strings Attached

A: …With Strings Attached is a “friends to lovers” story with a twist–the friends are already lovers — friends with benefits. The hero, Matt, is what you might call a “beta’ hero, a refreshing change from all the alpha dudes lately! He feels like nice guys always finish last with the girls, who all seem to want to tame a sexy bad boy – which his best friend pro surfer Dylan surely is. But it takes a little competition for him (and Corey) to see what’s been in front of them all along.

Q: You may have noticed we like to include our favorite quote in our reviews of the books we read. What is your favorite quote from With Strings Attached?

A: My favorite quote from With Strings Attached is:

She couldn’t believe what she’d just heard from Matt, her best friend, her lover, yes, but a straight-up straightforward lover who’d been so, so good to her, but never this…bad.

Book Info

Giveaway

Kelly Jamieson would like to give away a copy of With Strings Attached. (ebook) To enter, just answer her question:

So in fiction or real life – what’s your preference – bad boy or nice guy?

Giveaway is open to all (where allowed). You have until end of day Feb 8 to enter, winner will be announced soon after.

Giveaway sponsored by: Kelly Jamieson. No purchase necessary to win. You must be 18 or over to enter, void where prohibited. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. FVBR is not being compensated for this giveaway. If the winner declines to accept or fails to claim their prize within 72 hours of the announcement they forfeit their prize. Prize distribution is the sole responsibility of the giveaway sponsor. Fiction Vixen Book Reviews will not be held responsible for lost or misdirected prizes or for circumstances beyond our control. More information here.

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About FV Sophia

Sophia founded Fiction Vixen in 2009. She loves urban fantasy, paranormal, historical and contemporary romance. She is a wife, mom, coffee drinker, Mac addict, Kindle lover, and a bunch of other stuff too. Most importantly, she's a firm believer in Happy Ever After.

Lots of votes for a guy who’s a little of both! Hope you check out the story to see if Matt fits that good guy who can be a little bad – and also when Dylan gets his story, to see if the bad boy has a heart of gold!

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